A review by rina_reads
Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I was left crying, numb and empty after reading this book. Where do I begin? I knew it was going to be hear-wrenching and I knew that I will feel certain kind of sadness so it was hard for me to start this book and it was hard for me to finish. It has taken me over a month to complete. At one point, I broke down crying at a part when the main character couldn't cry. The story wasn't blaming one side. It was confusing and deeply painful. The question I was asking myself was How did people let this happen? How is it still happening? And that hurts the most when reading the book, knowing that Palestine is still under siege.
When reading the blurb of the book, I assumed the book would be a dual story line of the Palestinian family and the Israeli family but instead we are following Amal and her connection to everything - her heritage, her womanhood, her relationships, her hopes/dreams - are all shaped by ever-changing landscape of Palestine. I admired the descriptive language in this book when it came to describing the inherent love between the Palestinians and their land. There's a strong sense of history, heritage and ownership that is just torn apart but it's still home to Amal when she returns.
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